Though Notre Dame essentially traded the Big East for the ACC and remains a football independent, several observers said the move sent another signal about the increasing difficulty of that path. So what about BYU, which became an independent last year?

Athletics director Tom Holmoe declined interview requests. A university spokesman emailed a statement attributed to "BYU athletics" saying the school "continues to monitor the ever-changing landscape of college athletics. . . . BYU is pleased with its status as an independent football program." But others say the ever-changing landscape is becoming more difficult for independents to navigate.

"I wouldn't presume to know what they're thinking at BYU," Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said. "But I think it is harder than ever to be an independent. I think it's very difficult, and the fact that even Notre Dame struggles with it is testimony to the difficulty of it."

Exposure isn't an issue. When BYU left the Mountain West Conference (officially in July 2011), the school signed a contract with ESPN through 2018. There's also the in-house network BYUtv. The agreements ensure all home games will be televised.

Scheduling, though, isn't easy for independents, especially in the months of October and November, when most schools are playing conference games. Several conferences have adopted nine-game conference schedules; others may be moving to the format.

As it previously had with the Big East, Notre Dame's relationship with the ACC makes the school a conference member in all sports except football (and hockey). Notre Dame will schedule five football games with ACC teams every season, solving part of the scheduling dilemma while allowing the Fighting Irish to retain independence. Another key benefit: Notre Dame will also be slotted into the ACC's non-BCS bowl rotation.

Also unclear: The impact of Notre Dame's move, which begins in 2014, on a six-game scheduling agreement with BYU that begins this season and continues through 2020. Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick indicated Wednesday he wants to continue the school's traditional rivalries.

"It's important to us to get out to the West Coast annually," Swarbrick said. "And as everyone close to Notre Dame knows, the tradition of playing Navy is important and has deep roots. . . . Beyond that, we have to work though it over time."

Most of BYU's sports other than football now play in the West Coast Conference. The school has bowl ties with the Poinsettia this season and Kraft Fight Hunger in 2013.

BYU is eligible for BCS bowls if it finishes ranked 14th or higher in the BCS standings, but its only guaranteed berth is to finish ranked first or second --which probably means going unbeaten with a solid strength of schedule. Many of the details are still to be worked out when the postseason structure changes in two years with the advent of a four-team playoff, but it's likely BYU's only guarantee of a BCS bowl berth would be a top-four finish.

Even if BYU wanted to rethink its independent status, its path to a conference is unclear. The Big East might be an option -- or at least, a scheduling alliance with the league similar to what Notre Dame had. The Big12's Bowlsby won't comment on prospective new members but said the league isn't actively considering expansion.

It squares with BYU's public stance, too.

"We're still at a stage," said Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson, who formerly held the same position with the Western Athletic Conference, which once had BYU as a member, "where nothing would surprise me."